lontivero on Nostr: Immediately after Turbolay and me received Wasabi, everybody suggested that we start ...

Immediately after Turbolay and me received Wasabi, everybody suggested that we start looking for some grants to support the development effort. After all, Wasabi is just a FOSS software without any source of revenue, and there wasn't a company to pay our salaries anymore. The most resounding alternatives were OpenSats and the HRF grants, and I was suggested to apply to both of them. However, I wanted to avoid asking for money from the HRF, and for that reason, I applied to OpenSats even though I knew that many of the people behind it were not the biggest fans of Wasabi. Anyway, I preferred to ask for help from those who I perceive as part of the community. My application was rejected. Turbolay applied before me but his application was rejected too.

Turbolay then decided to apply for one of the HRF grants and asked me if I was okay with him applying for both of us together as the "Wasabi team," and I agreed. So he did it. It was a mistake; I shouldn't have agreed, but I knew that even though they usually highlight how important privacy is for democracy, they would not support us (maybe they cannot do it, who knows). The application was rejected.

After that, Turbolay started looking for a job, and fortunately, he found a non-fiat one! But I cannot avoid feeling that if I had released the Wasabi Silent Payment donation button earlier, he would still be 100% available for Wasabi. Even though Turbolay is still making great contributions, he's a fucking hero, a real one 🫡